AngryAsian: Race bikes are dumb [BikeRadar]

We're enjoying an unbelievably rich and diverse period of mountain-bike design these days, with competent choices from enduro rigs to 29er trail bikes to short-travel slopestyle machines and more. A few are built for racing, but many styles are built for what real-world riders do every day. When it comes to road riding, however, the choices are basically race bikes, or... slight variations on race bikes. This is dumb.

The mountain bike market is no longer driven by cross-country racing like it was just a few short years ago. Likewise, the prototypical 'mountain bike' is no longer a lightweight hardtail built for shaving seconds off of the day's big climb. That being said, even the most specialized cross-country racing equipment - tubular tires included - are perfect given the right application. If you're not competing, though, race bikes aren't always the best tool for the job, and it hasn't taken long for the average mountain biker to recognize that.

Take a look at your current mountain bike right now. What kind is it and what goes through your mind when you ride it? Are you thinking of channeling your inner Nino Schurter and besting a PR around a prescribed course or are you simply out having a good time?

Now take a look at your current road bike and think about the type of riding it's really designed to do. If your mountain bike is aimed more at fun and versatility, why is it then that most of us still riding road bikes that are purpose-built for racing? Why are so many of us so singularly focused on some imaginary finish line?

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